The Adventures of Murrlin
by Chibiscuit
Summary: Set between S3 and S4. Merlin has found an interesting transformation spell. It's a rather tricky one though, but a dire situation forces him to use it. No problems though! There's a reversal spell! All you have to do is say it...! Like... Meow? ...!
1. Warlock Cat

**I'm currently undergoing the torture that is exams and started writing this as a break from studying. Writing the stress off me kinda thing. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!**

**Edit: Fixed punctuations! Many thanks to Time's Quill! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! Lancelot does! Erm I mean BBC or something...**

* * *

"Now, I'll only be gone for a week, so Merlin." Gaius paused, waiting until he had Merlin's full attention. "Merlin." He repeated more sternly this time. Merlin glanced up from the magic book he was reading, "Hmm, yes?"

"Have you heard a word I said?" The old physician asked, a look of annoyance crossing his features as Merlin merely smiled a little.

"Sure, you're leaving for a while to investigate an illness in one of the border villages. I know, I was there when you received the order." Merlin answered quickly, turning back to his book. He had found a most interesting spell in it and had been dying to try it out. It was a tricky one though so he'd been spending the last couple days using all his spare time studying it. Merlin was so engrossed in reading that he missed Gaius' weary sigh. The old man stalked over to his apprentice and briskly snatched the book away from him.

"Hey!" Merlin's protest died down when he saw the serious look on Gaius' face. A moment of silence followed.

"So now that I have your attention," Gaius started again, "as I was saying I will be gone for about a week, maybe longer, so if there are any patients needing treatment here in Camelot you will have to attend to them."

"Me?"

"Yes, you Merlin or do you see another bumbling apprentice around here?" Gaius smiled amused at Merlin whose expression went from shocked to slightly indigenous and ending in worry.

"But Gaius, I'm not a physician!" Sure he'd helped Gaius a lot over these past years but that was nowhere near enough experience to actually treat people. What if he made a mistake? What if he prescribed the wrong draft? He wasn't ready for this!

"Don't worry Merlin, you'll be fine. You know the most common illnesses and for anything else, well, I guess you will have to read up on my life's work instead of this then, hmm?" There was glint of amusement in the old man's eyes. Merlin rolled his eyes slightly.

"Gaius I'm serious, what if something goes wrong?"

"So am I Merlin. I believe in you." He said it with such finality that Merlin was left speechless. The faith Gaius had in him was a bit overwhelming but he couldn't help but feel proud.

"Okay then. I won't disappoint you Gaius." He said gravely. Gaius nodded approvingly, "There, that's more like it. Now I can leave in peace." He got his medicine case and coat, checking everything over once more until he was sure he had everything he'd need.

"Oh and Merlin," he said almost as an afterthought as he handed the young warlock's magic book back at him, "don't do anything stupid." His eyes went from Merlin to the book and back, clearly indicating he was hinting at magic related incidents.

Merlin smiled broadly, "You know me."

Gaius gave him a long look, one eyebrow raised high. Merlin could just see him thinking the words, 'that's exactly why I'm warning you', but the old man remained silent. Merlin just smiled even wider until Gaius broke out in smiles as well. Gaius gave him a pat on the back, "I'm off then."

"Have a safe trip."

* * *

_That very night…_

"Halt! Show yourself!"

The guard's voice echoed throughout the dimly lit hallway. Merlin ignored the call and quickly skirted a corner. Calls for help and proclamations of intruder followed but Merlin didn't pay them any heed; he didn't have the luxury.

_Great, just great. Okay think think..._

Merlin desperately searched his mind for a possible escape route as he kept running. The hallways he was so used to travel along all seemed the same to him in the darkness. Or maybe it was because he was panicking. He wasn't sure and it didn't matter. He had to get out and fast.

The alarm bell rung.

It was now or never, Merlin knew. Before long the castle would be flooding with guards and knights. He contemplated stopping and feigning confusion but the footsteps pursuing him hadn't let up. It would be too dangerous to stop now. It was a good thing he was used to running around a lot.

Lights flickered in the hallway in front of him. Merlin skidded to a halt, rapidly looking around for a way out. A few doors lined both walls of the hall he was currently in. He had to choose one, but he had no way of knowing if the rooms were vacant or not. The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer, closing him in and trapping him like a rat.

On pure instinct he threw open the door closest to him on the left. He entered and quietly yet quickly closed the door behind him. He was met by a pitch dark room. Its occupants were either not present or fast asleep. Merlin let out a sigh of relief and took a moment to calm his rapid heartbeat and catch his breath.

The guards had gathered a little outside the room. Merlin could hear their confused murmurings, most likely deciding on their next course of action. The relief he had felt mere seconds ago disappeared as he realised he was really trapped now. It would only be a matter of time before they checked this room and he had no valid excuse to be there. Unless he was the culprit.

_Why do they only do their job when it concerns no real danger?_

Merlin sighed. Getting annoyed at the guards wasn't going to get him anywhere. He needed to disappear. Merlin's eyes went wide, the spell! He could try the spell he'd been studying all this time! But would it work? Merlin could hear the guards outside moving around again. The creak of a door carefully being opened reached his ears. He had no choice; it was now or never. The spell had to work.

Merlin took a deep breath and concentrated. He went over the words once more in his mind before he uttered them. His eyes glowed gold and almost instantly a mind-numbing pain coursed throughout his body. Merlin, completely taken by surprise by the spell's side effects, let out a scream loud enough to draw the entire castle's attention. But as fast as the pain had come, so did it disappear. When Merlin noticed he was able to see much more clearly into the dark he knew the spell had worked. He lifted his left hand –or now paw- and turned it over, studying the result. The fur was as dark as the night. He had no time to further examine his new form however for the guards had all gathered in front of the door, ready to storm inside. Merlin could hear them much clearer now, every footstep resounding in his mind, every whisper as clear as if they were yelling right in his ear. He took a glance around the room, deciding on the dresser for his hiding spot. He wanted to run over to it but running on four legs instead of two proved an entire different experience. A small mewl escaped him as he fell and tumbled over to his destination. A bit disorientated he scrambled up, accidently stepping on his tail in the progress, and clumsily crawled underneath the furniture.

The door flew open and guards flooded inside. Their torches instantly lit up the entire room. Merlin shuffled back as far as he could, taking care not to accidently crush his tail this time. The appendage felt strange and foreign to the warlock and he wasn't really sure how manoeuvre it yet.

The guards searched the entire room. Behind every curtain, underneath the bed, in the closets, everywhere an intruder could hide. Merlin had to admit he was rather impressed by their effort. Now only if they were this vigilant when it concerned a real intruder...

A few minutes later the guards, concluding the room was safe, left again. As expected they neglected to look under the small space underneath the dresser. Merlin supposed it was normal; no human could hide under there anyway. A cat on the other hand…

Thinking it wise to wait until the commotion was over before he returned to his quarters, Merlin tried to get as comfortable as he could in the narrow space. After some struggling he managed to settle in a position he deemed normal for a cat. Now that he had time he took in the rest of the transformation. For as far as he could see his entire pelt was pitch-black. Merlin figured the colour depended on the caster's hair colour and deducted that his eyes were probably still grey-blue. What really surprised him though were the whereabouts of his clothes. They had seemingly disappeared into thin air with the exception of his neckerchief which had shrunk to fit his feline form. It was a nice touch to the spell, Merlin mused, and it prevented any compromising situations where a sorcerer would have to leave his clothes behind and be stark naked when he reverted to human form. Or at least, Merlin hoped that was how it worked.

With the adrenaline of chase leaving his body, he could feel how tired he was. A nap would be in order and seeing as he wasn't going anywhere soon he might as well. Laying his head down on his paws, he softly drifted to sleep.

* * *

A loud rasping sound echoed through Merlin's mind, instantly waking him up. His head shot up colliding with the dresser. Merlin let out a pained groan. Through barely open eyes he took in his environment, memories of last night's adventure slowly returning to him.

_Right, I'm still a cat._

Merlin could hear someone walking from one side of the room to the other. The footsteps sounded heavy and solid, making Merlin believe their owner was most likely a knight. Curious, he crept forward a little and peered from underneath his hiding spot to see whose room he was in. He was just too late; the knight had walked behind the screen to dress himself. Quite a considerate knight for him to dress behind a screen even though he was all alone in his room. Or at least thought he was. Merlin shuffled back a little again and decided to wait. If it were a knight he'd leave as soon as he was dressed and not return until late in the evening. Arthur kept them almost as busy as him.

That reminded Merlin he was already late for his chores. And Gaius wasn't around to cover for him either so he'd best think of a believable excuse. Not that it really mattered what excuse he'd come up with, Arthur would just make him muck out the stables again anyway.

_Well, at least Gaius is not around to use the tavern as an excuse. That counts for something._

Arthur probably already thought he had the worst alcohol addiction in the entire kingdom. His thoughts were interrupted by more footsteps and he quickly crawled forward to see their owner. His eyes lit up when he saw who it was. A Cheshire grin on his face Merlin crawled out of his hiding spot. He opened his mouth to call his friend's name but,

"Meow!"

Merlin blinked confused. That wasn't right. He tried again.

"Meow!"

This wasn't good. Not good at all. Merlin's eyes darted back and forth as he thought about what to do. He tried saying some more things but all that came out was different forms of meowing. In his panicked state he hadn't even noticed that he had successfully drawn his friend's attention. The knight was standing over him, but Merlin paid him no heed. Merlin felt dread hold his heart as realisation dawned on him. He couldn't speak so that means he can't say the reversal spell. But maybe it would still work if thought it at the same time he attempted to say it?

_It's worth a try._

Merlin stared in front of him, eyes glued to a single point to maximize his concentration. He spoke and thought the spell simultaneously. A string of meows resonated through the room.

But nothing happened.

* * *

**It's probably really obvious whose room that is, huh?  
Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Till next time~!**

**Chibiscuit**


	2. This may very well be a catastrophy

**Hello again! Thank you all for reading and reviewing~! I'm glad to know I got to entertain some of you! :) I'm really enjoying writing this, though I must admit I'm still not sure what I'm doing. *laughs*Oh well!**

**Let's see if your guess was right or not, shall we? The answer is this chapter's very first word!**

** Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Merlin! He's Lancelot's pet now. I mean what.**

* * *

Lancelot always tried to be ready for anything. A knight had to be able to perform in any situation, under any circumstances after all. So it paid off to imagine as many different scenario's as possible and learn how best to react should they occur. There were some things that Lancelot had not expected. Some things he was not prepared for simply because the possibility had never crossed his mind in the first place. The situation he found himself in that morning was one such case.

"Meow!"

A cat?

Lancelot stopped in his tracks when he heard the loud cry in his otherwise silent room. He turned around and looked at the source of the meow.

"Meow!"

A cat.

Next to his bed sat a rather small pitch-black cat with greyish-blue eyes. To make matters even stranger it had a blue neckerchief on which fitted neatly on its form. The cat didn't look at him but shook its head before meowing franticly. Lancelot slowly walked closer so as not to startle the creature and squatted down in front of it. The cat still seemed more interested in the floor than him. There was something familiar about it but Lancelot couldn't quite place it. The cat, obviously distressed, turned its gaze away from the floor and stared straight ahead. Its body froze and its eyes were wide, seemingly focused on far-off point. This really was one strange cat.

The cat's head snapped up, eyes still wide and panic visible in its blue eyes that looked straight at Lancelot.

_Merlin?_

The thought flashed through Lancelot's mind the moment his eyes met the cat's. If it had been any other name that had come to him Lancelot would've dismissed it as a trick of his imagination but this was Merlin. If anyone could show up in his room one morning disguised as a cat, it's him. Besides, that blue neckerchief did look suspiciously lot like Merlin's…

The cat had lowered its gaze again, almost in thought, and it occurred to Lancelot that it was behaving rather un-catlike as well. Well, there was one simple way to find out the truth. If he was wrong then he would look extremely silly in a few seconds but if he was right…

"Merlin?" He asked carefully, lowering his head a little to catch the cat's reaction. There was no need to. At the mention of the name the cat's head snapped back up staring right at Lancelot, surprise evident in its blue eyes. It was a powerful reaction to say the least, yet it could still be a coincidence.

"Merlin? Is that really you?" Lancelot checked again.

Hope shone in the cat's eyes as it fervently nodded. Lancelot couldn't help a small chuckle at the sight.

"Do you often sneak into people's bedrooms like this?" Lancelot asked amused as he watched Merlin shift a little on the floor. Merlin's fur bristled a little at the accusation. His right ear twitched as he rolled his eyes a little before attempting to look annoyed at his friend. Lancelot could still sense the happiness from him though.

"I'll take that as a no." Lancelot answered as serious as he could manage. Merlin shook his head a little but abruptly stopped, his ears twitching upright and eyes widening. Licking his lips he stared intently at Lancelot, much like he had earlier been staring at some far-off point. Lancelot opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when—

'Lancelot'

-Merlin's voice rang clearly through his mind, yet the cat's mouth hadn't moved.

'Lancelot, can you hear me?'

"Yes, I can hear you." He answered out loud, both puzzled and amazed. He knew this was Merlin's magic at play but he had no clue how it worked. He'd never told him of this before! Merlin looked rather pleased at Lancelot's astounded reaction.

'Good. Then I can tell you that, no, this is not my hobby.'

Lancelot laughed, "Really now? Then how did you end up in this predicament then?"

'Do you want the short version or the long one?' Merlin replied. Lancelot could hear him let out a tired sigh in his head. He got up and took a seat on his bed, patting the space next to him. Merlin walked over to the edge of the bed.

'Long story short, I saved his the prat's royal behind once more.' Merlin continued. It might've been a complaint but it lacked every edge of one. 'The full story-' He stopped as he stared up at the bed. Lancelot patiently waited for him to jump on and continue his tale. Merlin's body wriggled, his muscles tensed and he bended through all four legs. And then he jumped, straight up, his four paws leaving the ground at the same time. He went up a few centimetres and then promptly landed on his paws again. Lancelot burst out laughing.

"What are you doing?" Lancelot asked, calming himself when he saw Merlin honest confusion.

'Jumping.' Merlin replied a bit embarrassed. 'It's harder than it looks you know!'

"I see. My apologies." Lancelot stifled any further laughter, "Here, allow me."

Before Merlin knew what was going on he was lifted into the air. He let out a surprised whelp at the sudden motion. Being picked up like this was one of weirdest and most frightening things Merlin had ever experienced. And he'd been through quite a lot in his young life. It felt like he was flying, but he had no control over his actions. His legs dangled uselessly in front of him. He had never felt so powerless in a single moment. It had only lasted a few seconds but Merlin never wanted to feel like that ever again.

"There you go." Lancelot, unaware of his friend's distress, said as he put Merlin down next to him. The warlock took in a deep breath to calm himself from the unexpected terrifying experience.

"Is something wrong?" Lancelot asked when Merlin remained silent.

Merlin blinked and looked up at his friend's worried face. 'You mean besides being stuck as a cat?' Merlin asked jokingly. Even though that was a problem he had felt a lot more reassured after having found a way to communicate with Lancelot. He was happy to have his friend around and the last thing he wanted was to needlessly worry him.

"Right," Lancelot wasn't entirely convinced but he dropped the subject, "how did that happen again?"

'Ahh you see...' Merlin started as he got comfortable on the knight's bed. He thought for a moment where best to start. 'You remember Arthur held that test for potential knights yesterday?' He asked his friend. Lancelot nodded, "I witnessed part of it. You did well against them." He added emphatically. Merlin sighed annoyed at the memory. Arthur had just turned down his, in Merlin's eyes reasonable, request to have some more time off since he was technically the court physician. Merlin should have seen it coming, but still it was no reason to make him the target for the new recruits! And ten potential knights against one servant? How was that fair? Merlin shook his head, that wasn't the point now.

'Yes, well, during that test I felt this strange aura coming from one of them.' Merlin continued. He tried to recall the name of the man but drew a blank. Thus he opted to describe him, 'The one with the short black hair, he was rather short, a lot shorter than me I think, and he used dual blades.'

"You mean Rhys who got assaulted last... night..." Lancelot's speech slowed down as things began to click in his head, "Don't tell me..." Merlin nodded, confirming his friend's suspicions.

'It was magic I felt, I was sure of it, but he didn't appear to have been aware of it.' Merlin explained further, 'So after some researching I found out he was most likely being possessed by someone else's magic.'

"Possessed by... magic?" Lancelot had no idea what that was supposed to entail. He could imagine being possessed by a spirit or a creature but by magic itself? Merlin thought how best to explain it. There was no reason or time to go into it in depth so he decided to give a simple comparison.

'Just think of him as a barrel filled with snakes someone else put in and when the barrel is close enough the snakes creep out and attack their target.' Merlin explained, hoping his friend understood what he meant. Lancelot slowly nodded, "And that target was Prince Arthur."

'Exactly!'

"I see... and since Rhys performed so well he would've been honoured yesterday evening at the feast. He would've been more than close enough for that magic to attack Arthur." Lancelot carried on. Things were beginning to make perfect sense to him now. Merlin nodded, glad Lancelot was catching on so quickly. He had to hand it to him, the knight was remarkably accepting and understanding when it came to magic. If Merlin had ended up in anybody else's room other than Lancelot's, he would've probably been in a lot more trouble right now.

'So in order to stop that from happening I snuck into his room yesterday before the feast to,' he searched for the right word to describe what he'd done, '... exorcise... the magic. I had to knock him unconscious to do so and the noise attracted the guards so I had to run.' Merlin finished up his story with how he hid in Lancelot's room and used the spell to get away.

'...and now I'm sitting here, still a cat, explaining this to you through mind communication magic.' Merlin finished.

"Amazing. I had no idea. So you were the cause of last night's commotion." Lancelot replied, impressed once more by his friend's courage and swift decision-making. Merlin felt a bit hot under his fur at the sound of Lancelot's awe. Really, it wasn't that special what he'd done.

"I should've known." Lancelot added amused, earning a pleased "mraww" from the warlock.

There was a knock at the door.

"Lancelot! You in there?" Gwaine's voice, normally already loud, now resounded like thunder through Merlin's ears. He instinctively laid his ears back and flattened his body to the bed.

"Yes, Gwaine, I am here." Lancelot answered, loud enough for his fellow knight to hear but soft enough so as not to further hurt Merlin's sensitive feline ears.

"Well you shouldn't be!" Gwaine yelled through the door. Merlin tried shielding his ears with his paws but it didn't work as he had planned and his paws just slipped off again. Lancelot petted Merlin's head and back once in an attempt to comfort him before getting up and walking to the door. Merlin felt hot under his fur at the contented purr he'd made at the knight's actions.

"Arthur's gonna—" Gwaine's yelling was interrupted by Lancelot opening his door slightly. He stood in the small opening to talk to Gwaine. "Yes?" He asked. Gwaine looked puzzled for a second as to why Lancelot didn't just open his door normally. Then it struck him and he grinned knowingly at the knight. Lancelot didn't like that look, at all.

"Arthur's gonna have your ass for being so late." Gwaine said, still grinning, "But don't worry, I understand." And then he winked. Lancelot stood there dumbfounded, not sure how to respond and before he could Gwaine carried on, "I'll tell Arthur you're on your way. But don't take too long." And with that Gwaine walked away, looking back once to give Lancelot a thumbs up, before carrying on.

"Thank you...?" Lancelot said unsure when Gwaine had left, completely puzzled what that had been all about. He knew one thing though, the prince was awaiting his arrival for training and he was already much too late. Still, he didn't plan on leaving Merlin just like this. He went back inside and closed the door again.

'Arthur's waiting.' It wasn't a question and the tone in Merlin's voice suggested Lancelot left this instant.

"He can wait a little longer." Lancelot answered firmly. The matter was not up for debate, he wouldn't just leave Merlin like this when he clearly needed his help. Even if the knight had no clue how he could be of assistance at that moment. "How can I help?"

Merlin mentally sighed. He slit of the bed, deeming jumping a bit too precarious, and walked over to the door where Lancelot still stood, determined to be of assistance.

'I don't know yet.' Merlin admitted. If he wasn't able to say the reversal spell himself then the only other option that came to mind was to have another sorcerer cast it. However, Gaius was gone for a week and Merlin had no knowledge of any other friendly magician around. He doubted he could call Kilgarrah in his current state either. For now there was only one thing he could do.

'I need to get back to Gaius' quarters to search his magic books for a solution.' Merlin continued.

Lancelot nodded, "Understood. I'll take you there then."

'Really, Lancelot, there's no need.' Merlin backed away a little lest Lancelot pick him up again.

"Really? How do you intent to open all those doors?"

'I can still use some magic, just not spells. I can open them.' Merlin replied confidently. His instinctive magic should be enough to deal with something as simple as a door.

"Doors opening of their own volition for a cat? That will certainly not arouse any suspicion."

'Well...' Okay maybe Lancelot had a point but cats were intelligent creatures right? They could open doors themselves if they really wanted to. Perhaps. He could at least try. 'I'll do it without magic then.' Merlin stated as he walked closer to the door. Lancelot watched curiously as the warlock put his front paws on the door and steadily moved them upwards. When he was practically standing upright, a peculiar sight indeed, Merlin bared his claws and hooked them firmly into the wooden door. Carefully he climbed up, closer and closer to the door handle, a bit unsure what exactly he was going to do once he reached it. His claws left marks all over the wood and Merlin made a mental note to repair it once he was back to normal.

_Almost...there..._

Merlin stretched out his right paw and scratched at the door handle but the thing wouldn't butch. Realising he would have to utilise all his weight; he reached over with his left paw and tried to hold on to the handle. It was too smooth and slippery. Merlin's claws lost their grip and with a surprised whelp he fell. With a smack he landed on his side.

Lancelot's amusement changed to worry and he immediately knelt down next to his friend to check on him. Merlin let out a string of pained and annoyed growls has he scrambled up. Overall he seemed fine though, so Lancelot let out sigh of relief.

'I thought cats were supposed to be able to always land on all fours?' Merlin wondered as he shook his head to clear the dizziness from the fall.

"Cats are also supposed to be able to jump on a bed without any effort." Lancelot grinned.

'Point taken.' Merlin replied a bit sheepishly, shuffling around on the floor. 'But at least I mastered climbing.' He added with another look at the trail he'd left on Lancelot's door. Lancelot laughed.

"So, now will you listen to me and allow me to help you?" Lancelot asked.

'Alright, alright.' Merlin gave in. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy to have Lancelot with him. 'Sir Lancelot,' Merlin started overdramatic, 'I beseech you. Please, lend me your aid and remove the obstacles in my way!'

"As you wish, Your Meowjesty." Lancelot played along. Merlin's laughter came out as a loud purr much to his own surprise. Lancelot smiled as he got up and opened the door. Together they began to make their way towards Gaius' chambers.

* * *

**The Dutch subtitles always write Gawain but since this site files him under Gwaine I decided to go for that spelling. I really like imagining what it would be like to be turned into a cat. I think it makes sense that you wouldn't be able to function like a real cat at first.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed!  
Till next time~**

**Chibiscuit**


	3. Keep the cat in the bag

**Greetings fellow Merlin fans! Today's chapter features ... oh well let's just see, shall we? :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! Only a few really crappy done DVD boxes... Really, I hope that wherever you live they put more effort into the DVD sets of Merlin.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It turns out that a knight walking through the halls of the castle side by side with a cat is not something that happens often in Camelot. At least if the stares both of them were getting were anything to go by. Literally every person, be they servant, guard, knight or guest, turned to look at the pair. Most of them looked either surprised or confused. Sometimes both. Merlin had even seen one girl rub her eyes in disbelief and a man check his drink, most likely under the assumption he was drunk. In Merlin's honest opinion they were overreacting. This was far from the strangest thing that had happened in Camelot. The time Uther was in love—excuse me, enchanted by a troll came to mind and Merlin had to stifle a laugh—or whatever his cat-alternative of laughing would be. Despite Merlin's urgings to Kilgarrah that, yes, Uther marrying a troll was a very serious matter, in hindsight, he had to admit it was in fact hilarious. Maybe he'll find this whole deal hilarious later on as well, but for now...

'Well this clearly isn't suspicious at all.'

Lancelot swallowed his answer. If he started answering a cat, which other people hadn't even heard speak to begin with, he'd only draw even more attention to them. If that were possible... He was feeling hot with embarrassment and his posture had gone all stiff and tense from it all. Since when was the castle so big? Weren't they there yet?! The knight suppressed the urge to walk faster, thinking Merlin, still unused to his new body, wouldn't be able to keep up.

They turned another corner. Finally! There it was! Both of them had never been so glad to see a door in their lives. After a quick glance to see if no one was around, Lancelot did speed up, rushing the final metres to the door and swung it open with more force than necessary. Merlin half-ran, half-tumbled after him. Once they were both inside Lancelot closed the door, leant against it and let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"That was unexpectedly stressful."

'You don't say.' Merlin replied, feeling his muscles relax significantly now that they were alone again. 'Should've seen your face though.' He added with an amused purr. Lancelot grabbed the nearest book and threw it at his friend who effortlessly diverted the object's path. A glint of gold eyes and the book lay harmlessly to the side. The warlock-gone-cat looked rather pleased with himself so much so he'd almost forgotten their purpose there.

As if reading his mind Lancelot walked over to a pile of books on the floor and picked up the one on top. "We better start looking." He said with a small gesture at, well, everywhere since he could hardly see a spot in the room without books.

'No need. I know which book we need.' Merlin answered. At least, he hoped that book was all they needed. If there wasn't a recipe for a reversal potion in the book he'd found the spell in, he would have no choice but to search elsewhere. Merlin feared that would be pointless though. If even the source material had no recipe why would other references?

"What does it look like?" Knowing which book to look for made things a great deal easier, much to the knight's relief. He could hardly imagine how long it would've taken to check every single one of Gaius' books.

'It's fairly thick and has a brown cover and is uh… square-shaped…' Merlin clumsily explained. Lancelot glanced around. Great, that description only fitted about 99% of all books in sight. He raised an eyebrow at Merlin, "Anything else?"

'No, it's just… very book-like.' The young warlock finished lamely. What more could he say? It's not like it would just have MAGIC & SORCERY written on it in bright rainbow-coloured letters!

'It should be around here somewhere…' Merlin tried to remember the last place he'd read the book. It had been when Gaius had left so… Following his train of thoughts Merlin searched around the chair and table. He had had to leave pretty abruptly himself not long after Gaius (on Prince's orders of course) and hadn't thought much about where he'd left the book. Merlin thought it wise not to inform Gaius of his carelessness once he got back. Then again, if he didn't find a way to revert back to normal he had a lot more to explain than a misplaced book.

Whilst Merlin was checking the ground, Lancelot looked at the higher places, such as on the table. He opened some books on a random page, briefly examined its contents and put them back when they seemed to contain nothing magical. After a few books he came across one he couldn't read at all.

"Merlin," Lancelot turned to his companion and showed him the book, "is this the one?"

'Let's see.' Before Lancelot could hand it over, the book floated out of his hands towards the young warlock. Lancelot noticed a happy glint in his golden eyes, a colour which was rather fitting for a cat.

Merlin purred happily. Sometimes all he wanted to do was have a little fun with his magic. Gaius had told him not to abuse it in any way, and certainly not to make chores easier. Things that could be done with your own two hands shouldn't be done with magic, he said. But right now, Merlin thought, he didn't have any hands to begin with so what other choice did he have? The thing Merlin liked most though was Lancelot's expression. It wasn't one of fear or anger, no on the contrary, it was pure awe and wonder. Merlin hoped that one day Arthur and the rest of Camelot would smile like that when they witnessed magic, good magic, instead of the prevailing prejudices clouding their minds.

"MERLIN!"

If Merlin had thought Gwaine's voice had been loud, it was nothing compared to Arthur. The noise rang through Merlin's head with the intensity of a thousand thunderstorms, making him lose his concentration, and the book dropped on the floor, right on top of him.

The door was flung open. Lancelot turned to it to see a very annoyed prince of Camelot.

"Sire!" He stuttered, nearly tripping over some books when he tried to straighten up. He gave a small bow to his liege.

"Lancelot?" Arthur raised his eyebrows, surprised at the sight of his knight. "What are you doing here?"

Lancelot didn't know what to answer and luckily for him he didn't have to for Arthur quickly changed the subject. "Never mind. Have you seen Merlin? That idiot hasn't shown up all day! I even had to-" The prince stopped short. He really didn't want his finest knight to know how he had struggled with his clothes that morning. Up until the point he'd fallen over in the effort which alerted the guards outside whom Arthur promptly ordered to dress him. All the while doing his utmost best to keep his dignity, which according to him he succeeded in. According to the guards, well, it wasn't really there place to speak out, now was it?

There was a silence as Arthur looked expectantly at Lancelot who supposed he had no choice but to answer.

"Yes, Sire. I have seen Merlin." He answered simply. Arthur made a twirling hand gesture indicating he wanted Lancelot to elaborate further but the knight just blinked.

"Well? Is he here?" Merlin could hear the impatience in Arthur's voice. He desperately wanted to take a peek from under his cover to watch the conversation unfold but he dared not move from his spot under his book-turned-tent lest the prince might notice and come to investigate. Merlin wasn't sure whether Arthur would recognize him like Lancelot had. He could perhaps recognize the magic book though and that would spell trouble for sure.

"Yes, Sire."

Merlin cringed at that answer. He knew Lancelot wouldn't risk lying ever again and Merlin would never ask that of him again either. He'd seen what that had brought about once before and that was more than enough. On the other hand, he also knew that Lancelot would never betray him. Merlin felt sick in his stomach. Lancelot was caught in this situation and it was all his fault. The warlock could only imagine the mental strain his friend was under right now. He couldn't stand for that. He wouldn't.

'Lancelot just-'

"However," Lancelot interrupted Merlin's attempt of communicating as well as stopped Arthur who was about to head over to Merlin's room to drag his servant out. "I'm afraid he will not be able to attend to you today, Sire."

As things now stood that was indeed true.

For brief moment Arthur was confused but then he rolled his eyes. "Of course. I should've known." Merlin was slightly curious as to what conclusion the prince had come. It didn't sound like a positive one...

"Sire?" Lancelot was just as curious. Arthur seemed pretty convinced he had figured out exactly what had happened. The knight knew that couldn't be the case of course.

"He was at the tavern again yesterday evening." There wasn't the slightest doubt in the statement. After all, the prince reasoned, how else could he have not reacted to last night's ruckus?  
Merlin mentally groaned. So it had come to this point, huh? Gaius -or anyone else- didn't even need to lie anymore; Arthur just automatically assumed he'd drunk himself into a stupor!

Lancelot had to stifle a laugh. The fact that Merlin of all people had gotten himself such a reputation was so ridiculous that it was funny. Arthur didn't seem to agree and looked far from pleased.

"Sire, if I may," Lancelot supposed he should attempt to mend his friend's reputation a bit, "a hangover is not the cause for his absence this morning." Besides the knight didn't put it beyond his prince to storm into Merlin's room-hangover be damned. It wouldn't make for much of a cover.

"Oh?" He didn't sound convinced but opted to listen to his knight.

"He's..." Lancelot paused for a brief second. Merlin could feel his heartbeat speed up. What would he tell Arthur? He held his breath, muscles tensing in anticipation. "Merlin's not feeling himself today."

A rather loud mraww resounded through the room. It had escaped Merlin and he didn't even realize it. Lancelot's manipulation of words was astounding. He hadn't said a single lie and yet hadn't betrayed Merlin either. Merlin grinned, briefly wondering what that looked like in his cat form.

Lancelot did his best to ignore Merlin's meow and carried on when he noticed Arthur look in the direction of the book. "Therefore I fear he may be unable to attend to you for the day," he thought for a second before adding, "maybe even longer." After all, Lancelot had no idea whether the book Merlin was currently hiding under really held the solution to their cat problem or not.

No matter how Arthur looked at it, it was suspicious. How did Lancelot even know this in the first place? Why didn't he tell Gwaine when he'd send him to check on him? Then again all Gwaine had done as a report was grin like an idiot and saying "he has a good reason, _trust me_." Whatever that had meant. Lancelot picked up on the prince's questions and spoke again, "My apologies for not informing you sooner, Milord, but I deemed it more important to tend to Merlin's health forthwith."

The seriousness in Lancelot's tone took Arthur aback a little. "Yes of course." He replied. Another question came to mind almost simultaneously. "What exactly is wrong with him?"

Lancelot smiled slightly, "I am afraid I am no physician." Evasive, but not a lie. Arthur nodded, "No of course not."

A silence fell over them. Merlin did his best not to make a sound, whilst Lancelot did his best not to glance in the direction of the book or to let his expression betray anything. Arthur thought for a moment. Something felt off to him but he couldn't quite place it. He narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the knight for any sign of something abnormal.

Lancelot tilted his head slightly, "Is something amiss, Sire?"

"...No, it's nothing." Arthur decided to ignore the feeling. After all what could be wrong? "I better get back." He concluded and headed back towards the door. "Oh right," hand at the door he turned to Lancelot again, "Since yesterday's feast was cancelled it will be held tonight. I'll be expecting you."

"Sire." Lancelot bowed slightly. "Does this mean Rhys has recovered?" Merlin was grateful for the question. He'd been wondering about the condition of the young recruit himself. In his hurry to flee the guards he hadn't had time to check whether the boy was alright.

"Yes, he's fine." Arthur reassured, "It's a strange case though." A contemplative look came over the prince. He shook his head to clear his mind. "At any rate, Lancelot, you may return to your duties once you've tented to Merlin."

"Sire." Arthur answered Lancelot's bow with a nod and left.

A sigh of relief ran through Lancelot's head as he let out one of his own. Merlin crawled out from under the book. His eyes flashed gold and the book was flipped over. Times like these Arthur's reluctance to admit he cares came in handy. Else he might've asked further or asked to see Merlin personally.

'Lancelot, that was amazing!' Merlin couldn't help but commend his friend at his display of word manipulation. Lancelot chuckled at the praise. A way with words was a necessary skill for any friend of Merlin's in the know. He refrained from saying that out loud though lest it might upset the young warlock.

"Well we better make sure we fix your condition now." Lancelot said, drawing attention away from Merlin's praise.

Merlin nodded. 'On it!' He said as he hit the open book with his left paw. He got comfortable in front of the book and with a flash of gold the pages flipped over rapidly. It didn't take Merlin long to find the correct page. Lancelot walked over and squatted down next to his friend. He looked at the text but could make neither head nor tail out of it. The only thing he understood was a very informative drawing of a cat on bottom right of the page. Merlin's now grey-blue eyes flicked from left to right as he scanned the page.

The page turned.

Merlin kept reading in silence. His ears twitched nervously the further he got. Another page was flipped.

A growl resonated from Merlin's body. That couldn't be good. Lancelot regarded his friend whose tail was flicking left and right in annoyance now. Merlin didn't even notice.

"No good?" Lancelot asked carefully. He knew the answer. Merlin's cat-body betrayed his emotions and thoughts before the boy himself even knew he had them.

'There is no recipe for a potion.' Merlin answered; gaze still locked on the book, mind going through other possible alternatives. But if there was no potion, no one to say the spell and he couldn't say it himself then what other method was left? Perhaps he could wait until the magic tires him out so much he reverts back on his own? But right now he still hadn't felt any of the strain he usually felt when he transformed into Dragoon.

"Perhaps there is one in one of the other books" Lancelot offered but Merlin shook his head. 'I doubt it.' He answered grimly.

It would seem he'd just have to hold out an entire week as a cat.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  
**

**See you next chapter!**

**Chibiscuit**


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